Aftershock
by Anonamus-A
Summary: Set one year after the disasterous events of Federal Custody. Chris' life is spinning out of control, and no one's the same. Then, everyone gets a huge suprise. If I say any more, it'll give it away. Hope you like it! Please read and review! T for lang -A
1. Remembered

A/N: Hey, everyone! Wow, finally finished Federal Custody. Hope you all liked it. This is (as I'm sure you already know) Aftershock. It's set exactly a year after the explosion, and Chris is struggling, to say the least. I'll shut up and let you read it. Let me know what you think. I still own nothing but my amazing OCs (sorry, I love bragging!) and my... odd imagination. -A

Chapter 1: Remembered

"Hon," Peter called into the kitchen. "Where's Chris?"

"Isn't she up in her room?" El asked, walking out while wiping her hands with a dish cloth.

"No, I was just up there." El bit her lip.

"I think I know where she is..." Sighing, Peter nodded.

"I'll go get her," he said grabbing his keys. She walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't." He turned, about to say something, but she cut him off. "Honey, do you know what today is?" A sad look crossed the agent's face, telling her that he definatly remembered. "Let her have some time alone today." Sighing, Peter nodded and sat down.

"I feel like I'm breaking my promise, El," he told her. She looked confused.

"What promise?" That's right, he hadn't told her...

"Right before Neal went into the warehouse, he made me promise that if anything ever happened to him, that we'd take care of Chris. Sure, she's alive, she's got a roof over her head, but I don't think I've seen her smile once in the past year. Do you remember when you're cousin brought her son over and he wanted to watch the Lion King?" he asked.

"Yeah, they made it to the part where Mufasa dies before Chris ran out of the room, almost in tears... I see you're point, but anyone would be acting just like Chris. She's trying to cope, Peter. She needs time."

"I know, but I'm worried about her." El smiled sadly and sat next to him.

"I am too, but we're doing all we can do. The rest is up to her. She'll come back eventually."

WC

Chris stared blankly out the window. She was numb, almost unfeeling. She should be crying, she supposed, but she didn't see the use. It's been a year, after all. A year ago on that day, Neal Caffrey was ripped from the world in a violent, untimely death. They never even caught the son of a bitch who killed him. Him, Geo, and six other forgers. They were all lost in the blaze, an explosion she still had nightmares about.

There were soft footsteps behind her, footsteps she'd come to know as Mozzie's. It suprised her that he came, yet at the same time, it didn't. She hadn't seen him for nearly four months. He'd stopped at the Burke's for a while on El's birthday.

"Hey, Moz," she greeted without turning around. "It's been a while." He said nothing. "I suppose you're hear for the same reason I am?" Still, no answer. She sighed.

"I figured Sara would drop by, but I've seen her about as much as I've seen you lately. She became a full-fledged work-aholic... How'd you get in? June's visiting Cindy and she gave the staff the day off." Nothing. "I suppose you either have a key, or you picked the lock... I have a key. June likes the company, but she said she couldn't be here today... She cried when she left, I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say." Chris shook her head.

"I suppose I should have told Peter and El I was coming here, they worry about me. I should probably call before it gets too late, Peter tends to come bursting in if I don't tell him I'm leaving." Again, she sighed. "I saw Alex last week. Can't believe she dyed her hair blonde... It's a good look for her I suppose, but I think her natural color was better." Mozzie still said nothing, he hadn't move an inch. This annoyed Chris for some reason. As she spoke she spun around. "Are you going the stand there all day or are yo-" but her words were cut off by shock. It wasn't Mozzie.

Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the man in front of her. It was impossible. She couldn't find her mouth to speak. After a moment, she was able to choke out on word. "How?"


	2. Alive

Chapter 2: Alive

"Chris," he said, his voice hardly more than a strained whisper, but it was enough. Tears now stedily streaming down her cheeks, she lauched herself forward and wrapped him in a bear-hug.

"Daddy," she said into his shoulder, all but bawling her eyes out. "How? We saw the warehouse..." But she couldn't go on. He hugged her back, smoothing the back of her hair, like people often do when they're holding a crying person.

"Shh... it's okay, baby. We can talk about that later." She nodded, her face still pressing into his shoulder. After a few moments, her crying subsided enough and she stepped out of his arms, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I... I have to call Peter and El," she said, voice cracking, as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. Neal nodded. She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear. He answered on the first ring.

"Peter, you and El, you need to come to June's," she told him. He could hear the stress in her voice.

_"Chris, what's the matter?" _he asked.

"Just get here!" she exclaimed. "It's important..."

_"Okay, we'll be there soon,"_he promised before hanging up. She threw her phone on the table and looked back at the not-dead Neal. He was staring at the table. She followed his stare, eyes locking on the hat that had been there for a year.

"It's the only thing that survived the fire," she told him in a small voice.

"You kept it here," he said, half to himself.

"You should see your old desk at the Bureau." He chukled sadly. Then his eyes travled to her, looking her up and down.

"He kept his promise..."

"Pardon?" she asked, confused.

"Peter. Before I went into the warehouse, I made him promise that he and El would take care of you if anything ever happened to me. He kept his promise." She nodded.

"Yeah. The Burkes are great people..." Then she heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Chris?" Peter called.

"In here," she yelled back. Peter and El walked in and saw her. She gestured with her head toward the wall. Slowly, their heads turned, and they saw Neal, who was standing kind of sheepishly by the window. It took them a moment to understand what they were seeing.

"NEAL!" they shouted together and ran over to him. El's responce was rather like Chris' had been, a bone-crushing hug. Peter grabbed his arm, as if checking if he was real, and making sure he wouldn't just float away if he was.

"How?" Peter asked, which is exactly what Chris had said. El turned around, sort of glaring at her husband and smacked his arm lightly.

"Neal doesn't have to talk about that right this second." She turned back to the returned con and looked him up and down. "Dear, you're so thin! You need food." She grabbed his hand and headed back to the door, Peter and Chris in tow. The three of them extanged a glance, agreeing that mother bear should be allowed to fuss for a while. "I just about had dinner ready and you will eat every bite I put on your plate," she commanded.

"No problem there, Elizabeth," he said. They piled into Peter's car, Elizabeth in the passenger's seat, Neal and Chris in the back. Somewhere along the way, he grabbed her hand and held it tight in his own. Peter kept glancing at him in the rear-view mirror, as if he'll disappear.

At the Burke's, he went to the bathroom to wash up before dinner, and Chris and Peter would repeatedly look over to the stairs, trying to see if he was coming or not. He came back, though, and sat on the couch, looking slightly uncomfortable. A few minutes later, El had dinner ready.

She had made the most delicious-looking Jonny Marzetie (A/N: Yeah, I think I misspelled that, I sounded it out...) ever and put two huge scoops on Neal's plate, along with a large garlic-chedder bisket, and a soda to drink. He dug in gratefully. Even with more food on his plate, he finished first, even taking (and finishing) another scoop of pasta, and downing two cans of soda.

After dinner, he offered to help clean up, but El refused, sending him and Chris to the couch while she and Peter did the cleaning. Neal and Chris didn't talk though. They didn't know what to say.

Twenty minutes later, El and Peter came out of the kitchen and sat down.

"Will you tell us what happened now?" Peter asked gently. Biting his lip, Neal nodded. He took a deep breath and began talking.

"We were kidnapped before the warehouse went up."

* * *

><p>AN: You didn't really think I could kill off Neal, did you? I'm not _that _evil. But, I'm evil enough to leave you with this cliffhanger! You're welcome! The little review button down there, you see him? Yeah, he's bored. Go entertain him! Thanks for reading and I hope you're liking it so far! -A


	3. Kidnapped

Chapter 3: Kidnapped

Chris and the Burkes waited with bated breath for him to continue. After another breath, he spoke again.

"We were waiting for Turnway to come, in a small room. No one spoke, because that's what we were told before we went in, don't talk until the meeting starts." Peter nodded, clearly remembering. "Then we were ambushed from behind. Our mouths were covered so we couldn't talk, couldn't warn you. Then we were injected with something and were unconsious in a matter of minutes."

Neal was watching Chris as he spoke, judging her reaction. If she got too uncomfortable, he would stop and tell Peter the rest later. But her face was blank, unreadable. She stared right back at him. This made his heart flip-flop. He was the master of masking his feelings, or wearing the right expression so no one would be suspicious. Apparently, that trait was passed on, and she'd mastered it too, over the past year. Shaking the thought, he continued

"When we woke up, we were in a small room with eight mattresses and a single hanging bulb. It was a few hours before anyone came in. Geo tried to fight them..." Neal's voice cracked.

"Is he... is he..." but Chris couldn't finish her sentence. Her mask broke a little, just for a moment, before she put it back in place.

"I'm sorry, Chris, they shot him..." Chris squeezed her eyes shut and took a moment to fight away the threatening tears. She let out a breath and looked up again, mask back in place. He didn't continue, just stared at her.

"Go on, I'm fine." He was hesitant, but a hard look from her pushed him.

"They made us forge for them, and if one of us refused, they would make us all go without food until that one agreed. You can guess how often we refused after the first couple of weeks. So, we painted whatever they wanted us to paint.

"Then, one night a few months, a few of Turnways guys got drunk and passed out. I got his keys and tried to convince the others to come with me, but only Amanda came. We got out and, of course, they followed. There were a few close calls, but me being me, we avoided getting caught and led them down to Mexico. I knew I had to get back here, so we crossed the border with some fake documents we picked up along the way, and they followed. We were able to slip them long enough for me to steal a different car, and yes, I admit we were stealing cars, and I came back across and made my way here as fast as I could."

"Why didn't you call?" Peter asked. Neal gave him a look that said 'are you serious?'

"Would you have really believed it was me on the other end?" Peter opened his mouth only to close it again and shake his head. "Thought not."

"Well, you're here now, and that's all that matters," El said soothingly. Neal smiled, but it was a ghost of his old smile. There was silence, but that was shattered by a ringing upstairs.

"That's my phone... oh, I hope it's not Gia... I don't know if I'll be able to _not _tell her..." She stood and ran up the stairs.

"Thank you," Neal said suddenly.

"What?"

"You kept your promise."

"Hardly," Peter said. "She's been a mess ever since... In some ways, she's better now, I don't think I've seen her smile once in a year..." This brought a deep look of sadness into the young man's bright blue sphears of eyes. Even after a year of misery, they hadn't lost their old light, their gleam. His face was slightly sunken in, and he seemed rather aged, and he seemed to be skin and bones, but other than that, he was the same as the last time Peter saw him.

Then Peter noticed Neal wince as he shifted his hand.

"What happened?" the older man asked, gesturing to Neal's left hand.

"I fought back a few times, but being the best forger in the room (Peter rolled his eyes. _Well, he hasn't lost his usual cockyness... That's a good sign._) they didn't want to kill me."

"What did they do?"

"Let's just say it involved a hammer and no medical attention," he told them darkly, making them wince as they imagined how painful that must have been. There was silence agian. "You know," Neal said, almost conversationally, "I still have a whole year and a half of unserved prison time..." His tone was serious, but his smile was mocking.

"True..." Peter said, almost mirroring him. "But, the year was spent in a different kind of prison-"

"Try hell," Neal muttered under his breath.

"-so I believe that makes it only half a year," Peter continuted as if he didn't speak.

"Wanna scare the hell out of some agents tomorrow?" Neal asked, a mischievious glint in his eye.

"Might want to wear some full body armor," Peter told him.

"Diana?" Peter smiled and nodded. It was almost as if Neal never left... Almost.


	4. The FBI

A/N: Hey all. Kinda sad... no reviews yet... :D Just kidding, I don't care either way. Sorry it's been a little while, I have this really annoying idea in my head and I can't get rid off it. It's the most rediculous thing ever too, a crossover between WC and Spongebob Squarepants... I might have to write it just so it'll leave me alone. That's what ya get for watching a SB marathon, I guess... Anyway, on with the story! Some people may be a bit OOC. Hope you like it! I still don't own anything... -A

Chapter 4: The FBI

Neal was later taken to the hospital to get his hand treated. The doctor said he was lucky, it didn't seem to have any permanant damage and was only broken in two places. The doctor also commented that Neal seemed entirely underweight. They could have guessed as much, themselves, but said that they would make sure he got his weight back up to a safe area.

Next, clothes. Peter's were all too big (and Neal cringed at the thought of wearing that as Peter's style didn't appeal to Neal. _Yup, _Peter thought when Neal voiced that, _this is definatly Neal Caffrey._), so they decided to go back to June's. Chris knew for a fact that she hadn't gotten rid of a thing in his apartment. When Neal asked how she knew this Chris shrugged.

"I get bored," she answered simply. He rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. They had hoped that June would still be away, not really wanting to give her a heart attack, but they saw the Jag parked out front.

"Well," Peter said, "she has to find out sometime."

"And, as they say, there's no time like the present," Neal added. There was a collective sigh and they made their way to the door. Chris could have used her key, but thought better of it. She was already bringing her not-dead father, she didn't need to waltz in like she owned the place too. So, she knocked.

It was a moment before the door was opened by Rhonda. "Hello Chris, dear, Peter," she greeted before she saw Neal. "Neal!" exclaimed, but the three of them put a finger to their lips telling her to be quiet. She nodded eagerly and ushered them in. June was in the sitting room, flipping through a photo album. She hardly looked up when they entered, not noticeing Neal.

"Hello, Chris, Peter," she said, sadness evident in her voice. This made Neal's heart hurt. He'd caused everyone so much pain...

"June," Chris said gently as she sat down next to the elderly woman, "we brought someone who would like to talk to you."

"Who's that dear?" she asked distractedly, still not lifting her eyes from the page. Chris glanced at the photo and remembered that day. That was a picture of Neal, Peter, El, Chris, Sara, Mozzie, and herself taken by Rhonda the day after Chris moved in with her father. This gave her a twing of sadness.

"Look up," Chris told her softly. "He really wants to talk to you." When June tore her eyes from the photo, Chris saw the tears. Slowly, the elderly woman's eyes found Neal, but she didn't seem to know what she was seeing.

"June," Neal said, a small smile on his lips, "it's nice to see you again." That pushed her over the edge. She burst into tears and stood, flinging herself towards Neal.

"You're alive! I can't believe it. I've missed you every day..." She babbled on like this for a while, crying on Neal's shoulder, dignaty forgotten. Chris and Peter looked away, not sure what to do. They motioned to Neal that they were heading up and he nodded, still trying to sooth a crying June.

Needless to say, it was a while before he joined them. They collected a few, slightly dusty, suits and bid June good bye, promising they would be back to see her soon.

WC

Neal was nervous the next moring at the thought of returning to the Bureau. He was biting his lip and was jittering like crazy, more so than usual. He's never been able to sit still for more than a few minutes, but today that trait seemed to be on crack. After a while, Peter couldn't _not _say something.

"Neal, what's the problem? I've never seen you this worked up."

"I... I don't know what to expect..." he said rather sheepishly. Peter sighed.

"Neal, you weren't even nervous going into the Bureau fresh out of prison. Everyone there knows you and most of them like you."

"That was a year ago, you know, before it _died._"

"True, but everyone missed you. They'll all be suprised and happy you're alive."

"What if they think it was just a ruse so I could run?" he asked, sounding somewhat like a little kid scared about his first day of kindergarten, or in a new school. He could almost imagin Neal using that tone when he was little, asking his mother, _What if they don't like me?_

"No offence, Dad," Chris said from the kitchen, "but you look like hell. You're safe there."

"Chris," Neal, Peter, and El all warned at her use of 'valger language.' She rolled her eyes.

"But she's right," Peter said. "One look at you would convince anyone that you didn't do that on your own free will."

"Thanks, Peter," Neal said sarcasticly, but knew they were right.

"Besides," Elizabeth added, "all of them love Chris and know that you wouldn't do something like that to her." Neal smiled a little. A few minutes later, Peter stood.

"Come on, you two," he said, indicating Neal and Chris.

"Me?" Chris asked, confused. "Why me?"

"Moral support," Peter and Neal said together. Peter raised an eye brow at his friend, who merely shrugged.

"I may have been gone for a year, but I still know you."

"Right," Peter said. "Let's go, or we'll hit traffic." Shrugging, Chris grabbed a piece of toast, a bottle of pop, and her bag and followed them out.

WC

They slipped into the building unnoticed. Until they reached the elevator, that is. At first, Ruiz didn't noticed him or Chris. He greeted Peter, then he saw that he wasn't alone.

"Caffrey! But... but _you're dead!_"

"Really? Hm, you think I would have noticed that..." This comment earned him two people giving him the evil eye, and one chuckling. Guess who was who.

"Where were you...? You look like hell." Neal rolled his eyes..

"That's what I said!" Chris said with a smile. Ruiz acted like she was invisible.

"Why would I tell you? You hated me," Neal pointed out, making Ruiz blush slightly. Peter and Chris smirked at each other. There was a _ding! _and the elevator door slid open. Two identical Caffrey grins flashed at him. Peter and Neal stepped out. Ruiz seemed to be frozed. Quickly and without being seen, Chris pressed a random number and the button that closed the doors and sliped out.

"What the-" they heard Ruiz say before the doors were done closing and cut him off. Peter was glaring at her and Neal was stifling a smile.

"Oops. Guess I bumped a button... or two." Her face was straight and innocent, which told Peter she was lying through her teeth. Eventually, though, he gave a small chuckle and they walked through the glass doors. The reaction was almost instant.

As if it was a magnetic attraction, all the agent's heads snapped up at once. Not everyone processed what they were seeing though. Diana was first. She jumped up and rushed forward.

"Neal!" she exclaimed as she wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Diana," he said with what little breath he could draw.

"Yes?" she asked, not letting up.

"You're breaking me." She let go like he was red-hot (A/N: no pun inteneded.) and looked rather sheepishly at him. He smiled back. Jones was next. He poked Neal on the arm a few times. "Jones, what are you doing?"

"Just making sure you're real," he muttered.

"I think Diana already proved that one," Chris told him. Soon, every agent was gathered around, save for Hughes. Neal looked at his old desk and smiled.

There was a picture of him, along with photos of him with various other agents. Also, a few ties and some old doodles. What made him smile most was the old tracker. He picked it up and looked at it. While he was lost in nostalgia, Peter pulled Chris aside.

"Go get Hughes," he told her. "Be vague."

"I can be vauge," she told him, earning a smile.

"I know." She grinned back and ran up the stairs as Peter rejoined the group. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," Hughes called. She pushed the door open and walked in.

"Hello, Chris," he said, somewhat confused.

"Hello, Agent Hughes," she greeted with a soft smile.

"How many times have I told you, call me Reese." The man had a soft spot for her, which was odd considering she was a Caffrey.

"Four-hundred thirty-eight times... well thirty-nine, now." He chuckled and shook his head.

"What can I do for you?"

"There's something you should see down in the bullpen," she said, being vague, like Peter told her. He stood and made for the door.

"You're awfully chipper today," he noted.

"Well, it's another day. Anything can happen."

"I would have thought you'd be worse, considering what yesterday was..." He trailed off, realizing what he was saying. She just smiled her charming, radiant smile.

"Let's just say I had a very eye-opening experiance yesterday," she told him crypticly.

"And what's that?"

"You'll see," she promised before turning and walking back towards the stairs. He followed, confused. When they got to the group, they parted like the Red Sea, or something. Neal still had his back turned and wasn't paying attention. Sighing, Chris ran forward, grabbed both is arms and went around him, forcing him to turn around.

The look on Hughes' face was priceless. His eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped open. "Caffrey!" Neal gave him a small, nervous smile. It was a moment before Hughes spoke again. "You look like hell."

"Again! Exactly what I said!"

"What the hell happened to you?" Hughes asked, walking forward. Neal opened his mouth, reluctant to answer. Peter saw this and stepped in. His voice was low enough that only Hughes, Neal, and Chris heard it.

"I'll tell you that later, sir," he said. "He already told me, let him have some time to settle back in."

"Right," Hughes said, looking around. "How about we take this conversation up to the confrence room anyway? Everyone else, get back to work." Everyone followed to order, except Diana and Jones, who stood there staring blankly at Hughes. He sighed. "Fine, you two come too." They slapped a high-five and followed they group to the confrence room.


	5. Job Offer

A/N: Hello, all! I would like to thank all of you readers out there! This month Federal Custody became my first and only story to reach over a thousand visitors! A cookie to anyone who is part of that number! Hope you like this chapter! Sorry it's so short! -A (P.S. Okay, this chapter is where it gets _very _AU. Also, spoilers for the Pilot.)

Chapter 5: Job Offer

After sitting down in the confrence room, there was silence. Neal was drinking in every detail, but it really it hadn't changed at all. Yet, he found himself caught in another wave of nostalgia. It was odd, even after a year, he sat in the same chair he always had, going right to it, as if nothing had changed.

Finally, Hughes cleared his throat. Every head turned to him. "Caffrey, I don't know what happened, and quite frankly it doesn't make much of a difference to what I'm about to say, but I can tell that you didn't just run. And I have something I want to say."

"What, sir?" he asked politely.

"Now, I may be jumping the gun, but I want you to know that if you want, you're welcome back at any time." Everyone blanched.

"Sir," Peter said, "did you just offer Neal a job?"

"I did." They all looked, wide-eyed, between Hughes and Neal. Neal was frozen.

"Like, without the anklet?" Chris asked slowly. Hughes nodded. Finally, Neal unfroze.

"If you don't mind my asking, sir, _why?_"

"Why?" Hughes repeated. Everyone nodded. "Because, if you were gone for a year and still came back, I seriously doubt you're going to run off to be a con again. What do you say?"

"I accept. Thank you, sir."

"What about the prison sentence?" Diana asked. "Unless I'm much mistaken, Neal still has half a year."

"Given the circumstances, I think I can swing for 'early release,'" Hughes said, making air quotes around the last word. Everyone chuckled.

"So _now _I'm official!" Neal said after a moment, earning a laugh from everyone.

"Yup. Congrats," Peter said, clapping him on the back. He disappeared into his office for a moment and came back, tossing something in front of Neal. Curious, he flipped it open. Again, nostalgia hit.

"You kept it. After all this time, you kept it." It was his ID, the one Peter had given him after his first case with the Bureau.

"I guess I was holding on to the hope that it wasn't true."


	6. Drew

A/N: Hello, all! Sorry for the long break. I've been focusing on some other things, but am forcing myself to sit down and write this. Sorry it's not much! -A

Chapter 6: Drew

A few days after Hughes' job offer, Neal, Chris, and the Burkes were sitting at the dining room table after dinner. There was silence for a while. Neal was studying Chris from across the table. Finally, he spoke.

"When did you start wearing your hair up?" he asked. All heads turned to him, confused.

"What?"

"You're hair. You never used to wear it in a pony tail."

"Oh. That," she said, twisting the end of said pony tail with two of her fingers. "I don't know. A few months ago?"

"Neal, why don't you just tell her?" El asked.

"Tell me what?"

"I'm moving back into June's," her father told her. "Me, El, and Peter were talking..." He took a breath. "If you want to, you can move back in too." Her eyes widened.

"You're serious?" They nodded.

"I can understand if you don't want to..."

"Are you kidding? Of course I want to!" Neal smiled widely.

"It will take a little time," Peter said, "seeing as how we legally adopted you, but we can grant custody back to Neal soon enough."

CM

Almost a week later, the paperwork was all settled (it really helps being an FBI agent) and Chris was ready to move in with June again. He'd promised the kindly old lady that it wouldn't be long, just till he got back on his feet, but she assured him that he could stay as long as he liked. So, the Burke's and the Caffrey's were packing Chris' stuff.

Then, around five, the doorbell rang. Chris, who was the closest, dropped the box she was carrying and pulled it open. There, standing in front of here, was a tall, really hot guy. He had wavy black hair and warm, green eyes. A bag was slung over his shoulder and he smiled charmingly down at her.

"Drew," she said, unable to keep the shock from her tone. "What are you doing here?" He regarded her curiously.

"Um... our Chem project?" Chris mentally face-palmed herself. How did she forget that? She'd asked Drew to come over to work on their project. They'd been working at his house, but his parents went out of town this week.

"Damn it. Sorry, Drew. I completely spaced it." He looked in.

"What's been going on in here?"

"Um, packing. I'm moving back in with my dad." This confused him.

"I thought your dad was dead."

"So did I," she muttered, confusing him further. "Nothing, just... just nothing." They stood in silence for a moment. "Um... why don't you come in?" He nodded and stepped hesitantly in. As she closed the door, Neal came down the stairs. He froze when he saw Drew.

"Chris, who's this?" She blushed a little.

"Just a friend from school," she told him. An evil smile crossed the con's face.

"Nice to meet you," Neal said politely, shaking Drew's hand.

"You too, sir."

"Oh, God," Chris muttered before walking up the stairs.

"So, you like Chris?" Drew's eyes widened.

"Um... yeah. She's a... um, good friend." Neal chuckled.

"I've been there, kid. I can see it in your eyes." Drew blushed. "So, what are your grades?"

"All A's."

"Sports?"

"Football and basketball."

"Ever been convicted of a felony?" Neal asked. Drew's eyes widened again.

"No, sir."

"Shame..." Neal said, confusing Drew farther. Chris walked up behind Drew.

"He's kidding, right?" he asked her in a whisper. She could have had him completely convinced that it was a joke, but it seemed like more fun to play along.

"Sure?" she told him in a totally inconvincing tone.

"What did he _do?_" he asked, panic showing in his voice. A hand clapped on his shoulder, making him jump.

"Let's just hope you're not like Zac," Neal told him crypticly. Drew blanched.

"Who's Zac?" Peter, who'd been walking past when the conversation started, smirked as he spoke.

"Hey, that's exactly what Nathan said!"

"Nathan?" Drew squeaked. El had come in behind Peter and was next to speak.

"Hm... he looks kind of like Tim did..." They all pretened to study him before nodding, making noises of agreement.

"Tim..." His voice was small. Chris' next statement was the cherry on top.

"Well, he's taking it better than Aaron did." With that, Drew fainted, and would have fallen to the floor if not for Chris and Neal's quick reaction. They caught him and, with help from Peter, carried him to the couch and laid him there.

"Do you think we went too far?" El asked, looking him over. They all did the same.

"Neh," Neal, Chris, and Peter said together before continuing their work.


	7. Chase

Chapter 7: Chase

A few days after the incident with Drew (no, no one bothered to tell him they were joking), Chris was walking to his house with him after school. His parents had gotten back early and, needless to say, they hadn't done very much as the Burke's. They decided to take a detour and grab a hot dog.

Chris wouldn't admit it, but she was really starting to like Drew. And she could tell (well, at least she hoped she was right about being able to tell) that he was starting to like her too. They were walking slow, talking and joking, in no hurry to get back to his house and do homework.

"So, who is Zac?" Drew asked after a moment of silence. She spun around to face him, smiling widely.

"No one. Well, no one you can prove existed." His face paled again. She laughed loudly. Over his shoulder, she saw a man turn to face her. For a second, she wondered why he looked familiar. Then the memories of Peter's case files flooded her mind. A devious kind of smile crossed the mans face. He put his hands on his hips, pushing back his jacket and revealing a gun. Her eyes widened. Still smiling at her, he started towards them.

"Run," she said to Drew, starting to back up.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Run!" she exclaimed, grabbing her friend's wrist and spinning around, bolting in the opposite direction. Unable to break her grip, Drew ran with her.

"Chris, what's going on?"

"I'll explain later," she promised, turning, "we just have to get out of here." And they ran, pushing past annoyed New Yorkers. Chris looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, he was still following them. Chris turned suddenly, pulling Drew with her into traffic. A car screehed to a halt to avoid hitting them. She turned and stopped, holding a palm out.

"Sorry!" she shouted. "Sorry!" And they started running agian. A few streets away, Chris pulled her phone out of her pocket. She started scrolling through her contacts. She looked around, catching sight of a street sign.

"Gia," she said into the phone.

_"Chris, what's up? Are... are you running?" _

"Yeah. I need you to call Dad, or Moz. Whichever. Tell whoever to get to Sunday. And bring Peter."

_"Got it."_

"Thanks," she said before hanging up.

"What was that about?" Drew asked as they turned a corner.

"Nothing. Just keep running." He nodded. It was almost ten minutes (adrinaline was the only thing that kept them going) before Chris slowed. She pulled him into an alley. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she made sure no one followed them in.

"Keep watch," she commanded before pulling out a bobby pin and picking the lock to a door. He nodded and watched. No one came and they were in almost a minute later.

"Chris, would you mind telling me what this is about?" Drew asked as the sunk to the floor after relocking the door. She nodded, still trying to catch her breath.

"We were being chased by a man with a gun." Drew blanched. "This man kidnapped my dad, making us think he was dead. Dad got away and led him down to Mexico. Guess he didn't take the bait."

"Why did he kidnap your dad?"

"Dad really has been convicted of a felony, just not for murder. He's a very talented forger. The man who was chasing runs a forging ring." That's when Neal, Mozzie, and Peter ran in.

"Chris," Neal said, running over to them, "what's going on?"

"We were just chased by an armed Charlie Turnway."


	8. Cryptic

Chapter 8: Cryptic

The day after Chris' run through Manhattan, the feds were in over-drive. Diana, Jones, and a couple others were canvasing her route for witnesses. Hard to believe they ran nearly two miles. Adrinaline really helped. Drew's parents, who were completely freaked, were talking to Peter and Neal in the confrence room. Chris and Drew were in Peter's office, trying to figure out perfect ways to listen in to a conversation.

Chris got an idea. Smiling, she pulled out her iPod and turned the mic all the way up. "Wanna test it out?" His grin told her he did. So, she hopped off the chair and placed it carefully at the door. "Keep watch," she ordered. He nodded and angled his chair to look in the confrence room. She turned on the recorder and turned the volume up.

"So, you're sure no one is after our son?" a panicked Mrs. Clay asked.

"I'm positive no one is after him. They're after Chris," Peter assured her.

"The girl?" Mr. Clay asked. She could see Peter nodding in her mind. "Why would they be after her?"

"Because they're after me," Neal said.

"And you are..."

"Neal Caffrey. Chris is my daughter." Based on Drew's body lauguage, someone wasn't too happy to hear this.

"So, you and your kid our putting our son, our only son, in danger?" Mrs. Clay asked, sounding offended and worried.

"No," Peter said firmly, answering for his friend. "Drew is in no danger. The man who chased them wasn't looking for them at the time, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Chris didn't want to take chances. Your son was in no danger." With this, Chris shut off the iPod.

"Is that true?" Drew asked.

"I don't know. I didn't want to take chances, that's true, but I'm not sure if he would have followed me or went after you." It may be better to lie to Drew's parents, but he needed to know. "We shouldn't hang out."

"What?" Drew's eyes were wide.

"If we're in public together, you're risking about as much as I am."

"Like I care!"

"You will when you end up kidnapped. Or dead." His face paled a little. She bit her lip, realizing that probably wasn't the best thing to say. "Not that that will happen! There's no way the agents will let that happen." He nodded a little. "_I _won't let that happen," she promised. This made him smile. Just a little.

With that, a haggared looking Peter, and ruffled Neal walked in. Peter glared at Chris to get up, but she just flashed her Caffrey simle. He rolled his eyes, but leaned against the wall in defeat. Smiling, Neal coppied.

"What have you two been talking about?" Peter asked. Drew opened his mouth to tell them, but, having caught Chris' eyes, stopped. She answered instead.

"Our bio project," she lied smoothly.

"Didn't you already turn that in?" her dad asked suspiciously.

"It was due today." She looked at the clock on Peter's computer. "Thrid period ended almost half an hour ago." They nodded, knowing that she was lying, but let it slide. Peter turned to Drew instead.

"You know, you're completely safe. They weren't after you, and it we don't think that's about to change. You've got nothing to worry about."

"Yes, sir, I get it."

"Are we going to hang out here all day, or what?" Chris asked impatiently.

"Well, I suppose you can go back to school," Peter said. "I'd ask your parents first, though, Drew." He nodded, standing up. Before he walked out, Peter added a thought. "I don't want you walking though... just a precaution. See if they can pick you up after." A few moments later, Drew walked back into the doorway.

"They both have work till way after school." Peter bit his lip.

"Neal and I'll be picking up Chris. Ask if they want me to give you a ride." He nodded again and walked back into the confrence room. A second later, he was back.

"'S all set." The teens grabbed their bags, slinging them over a single shoulder in sync. Peter rolled his eyes, grabbing his jacket. Neal, smirking, followed them out.

CM

In the car on the way to school, Peter's phone rang. "Yeah, Jones." He listened for a moment before sighing. "Thanks."

"What was that?" Neal and Chris asked together.

"There's been another break-in."

"Break-ins?" the kids inquired.

"One of our cases is a series of museum heists at small-time gallaries." He didn't miss the glint in her eye that told him that this reminded her of something. Not just something, the thefts were a lot like the break-ins before Neal went missing...

"Do you think it's connected?" she asked hesitantly. He hesitated before answering.

"It's possible. But, wether it is or not, we'll catch him." Drew was completely lost by this point, but no one bothered to explain. They pulled in front of the school a few minutes later.

"What was all that about?" he asked Chris as the car drove away.

"Sorry, we're not used to being around people out of the loop. A year ago, there were some small thefts. Then we learned that the small thefts were just smoke-screens for more valuble paintings being replaced by forgeries. The forgeries were far from perfect, and there were initals in the corners of various other forgers; including my dad, and, for some reason, me. The guy responsible for this was the guy who kidnapped my dad."

"And you think he's behind these robberies too?" Drew asked. She nodded.

"Given the fact that we just had a run-in with him, no pun intended, I'd say the odds are pretty good."

"You think they'll catch him?"

"I hope. If not, I may have to do something about it." They had to stop talking to sign in (didn't want to risk being over-heard), but they continued the conversation in whispers as they walked to their lockers, which were relitively close to one another.

"What could you do about it? You're just a kid." She glared at him.

"A kid that grew up around this kind of crazy-ness. Trust me, if there's anything I get from my dad, save for my looks, it's my being a Caffrey. I know, that doesn't make sense, does it?" He smirked and shook his head. "Let's just say, being a Caffrey implies the ability to break the rules and figure out things you shouldn't know." He chuckled.

"So, you can... what, con people?"

"Allegedly." He raised an eyebrow. "Never admit to anything to the wrong people. Just like I'll never admit to running the forged document scam the past few years. There will never be any proof suggesting I did."

"What about HH?" he asked.

"The Homework Help-line?" she asked innocently, as slight smile playing at her lips. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she pulled it out and read the text message.

_Meet the park two blocks from your school in ten minutes. We need to talk. -A friend. _

"Well, _that's _cryptic," she muttered to herself.

"What's cryptic?" Drew asked, coming up behind her. He jumped, hiding the phone from sight.

"Nothing." Now she was all curious. "Hey, I gotta run. Cover for me?"

"Where?"

"Not far. Just meeting... a friend." He regarded her suspiciously. Chris sighed. "I'll be fine, I promise. I'll be back before fifth period." I quickly sent him a text message. "Just show that to whoever's on Study Hall duty today. I'll explain when I get back."

"I-"

"Thank's, Drew, you're the best!" I ran off to my secret escape, one I'd used a zillion times, and made my way to the park. They say curiosity killed the cat, let's just hope this curiosity doesn't kill the Caffrey.


	9. A Friend, An Enemy

Chapter 9: A Friend, An Enemy

Chris was at the park in minutes. She had no clue who she was dealing with. It could be Mozzie; this seemed like something he'd do. She'd called him the week before and he'd been all but an emotional wreck when he saw his long-lost friend. Sara had a similar reaction to Diana's, but there had been more kissing involved. Alex couldn't stay long because she didn't want anyone to see her cry.

Yet, something in the pit of Chris' stomach told her this wasn't someone she knew, or at least knew well. So, once at the park, she scoped out the scene. There were a few joggers, giving her odd looks, but they didn't seem to be interested in her. No one really stood out. Sighing, she sat on a bench, still scanning. A hooded person approched her.

This person was clearly feminine. At least she didn't have to worry about it having been Charlie Turnway. That didn't mean he wasn't involved though. The woman sat down next to Chris. After sweeping the area like Chris had, the woman removed her hood.

"Amanda!" she sqeeked, earning a _shoosh_ing sound. "Sorry... I thought you were in Mexico."

"They followed Neal. I slipped back in. I had to warn him, but I knew he wouldn't keep the same phone long, so calling wouldn't work. So, I decided to warn you."

"Wait, how'd you get my number?" She smiled.

"Geo is alive. I learned that almost as soon as I got back in."

"Geo... is alive?" Chris asked numbly. She offered a small smile and nodded.

"He gave me two numbers. The first one didn't work."

"It was probably an old burner. I tossed the one he knew about a long time ago. Like, less than a month after the explosion. When I switched to the Burke's phone plan, I kept my old number." She nodded for a moment before going on.

"I'd been watching Turnway and his men ever since I got back. As far as I know, they've been trying to keep eyes on me too, but I'm better." They grinned. "Anyway, they're planning a museum heist."

"So, the string of heists, is that them?"

"Most likely. This one, it'll be your last chance to catch him. After this one, the whole ring is relocating to Phoenix."

"That's kind of far..."

"It's a precaution. Better safe than sorry, you know." Chris nodded.

"When and where?" she asked Amanda, who passed her a folded sheet of paper.

"Just don't tell Neal or the feds how you know this."

"Why not?"

"Because, if they know, Turnway will know. I'm pretty sure they think I'm down in Jersy now, but that'll go out the window if this spills. And be careful. You're as much on his hit-list as your father is."

"Yeah, I found that out yesterday." Amanda regarded her curiously, so Chris retold the tale of chase through Manhatten from the day before.

"You have to be careful. If he found you that easily..." The older woman shuddered. "If you're not on your toes at all times, you're as good as dead." Chris nodded grimly, knowing this was true. She'd been on her toes ever since the explosion, but didn't bother pointing that out. "I have to go. You should get back to school before you're missed." Chris nodded again and stood.

They parted ways, Amanda back to where ever, Chris back to school. Every part of her was on high-alert. Every noise made her jump. There was a loud clatter-y, bang-y noise to her left, but it was just construction workers. A hissing cat almost made her pee her pants. Then, something strong pulled her into an alley. The damn cat distracted, so she'd been unaware of the danger in the alley.

Chris fought agains the person holding her, but he was stronger. Finally, she twisted enough to get a look at his face. "YOU!" she shouted. Turnway chuckled.

"Nice to meet you too, Christeen. We're going to go for a little trip with my friends in the van." He motioned to a black van in the back of the alley.

"Like hell we are!" she screamed, fighting harder. He laughed again and started pulling her towards the van. Her mind worked furiously to figure out a plan. Then an idea hit her.

She screamed on the top of her lungs. "**HELP! HELP, HE'S KIDNAPPING ME! HEEEEEELP!"**By the time he got a hand on her mouth, it was too late. The construction worker were running across the street to the sound of an attack. She pulled furiosly away from Turnway, who dropped her when the large men started getting closer.

"You little bitch!" he hissed as she scrambled to her feet. As the pissed construction workers swarmed around Turnway, Chris bolted out of the alley. A woman who worked at the construction sight tried to stop her, to see if she was hurt, but Chris was crying prefusely (_thank you, Caffrey genes_, she thought.) and let her run away. As she rounded the corner, Chris slowed and quit crying. Laughing at her cleverness, she jogged the rest of the way back to her school, hardly able to wait to tell her friends of her latest Caffrey adventure.

* * *

><p>AN: Free cookie to anyone who knows what episode I got her escape from! Tell me what you think! -A


	10. Busted

A/N: Hey all. I have to make up some museum names again, so bear with me. Hope you like it! -A

Chapter 10: Busted

Chris ran back to school, and snuck back in. She thought she was home-free. Until she got to the cafeteria, that is. Standing in front of her was a scolding Mrs. Frend, who must have been on S.H. duty; a pissed Peter; a dissapointed Neal; and a guilty-looking Drew. She glared at the latter.

"Sorry," he mouthed, "I'm a terrible liar."

"Chris," Mrs. Frend said, "where have you been?"

"What do you mean?" Peter rolled his eyes. Neal smirked a little.

"Damn it, Chris," Peter hissed, "don't you realize... what's been going on? Anything could have happened." She folded her arms and held her ground. Peter sighed and turned to Mrs. Frend.

"Is it okay if I take these two home. Drew's parents asked me to pick him up after school today." She looked a little reluctant, but agreed.

"Just go sign them out in the office." They turned to leave. "And, Miss Caffrey, detention, I think. This-"

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, "I know the drill." A few minutes later, they were in Peter's car.

"Chris," Neal said. "What were you thinking?" For an answer, she pulled out her phone, brought up the message, and tossed it to him. He sighed. "Really?" She shrugged.

"Really."

"This could have been a trap. You could have been killed."

"Well, it wasn't a trap, but I could have been killed anyway." All of their eyes widened. Wrong thing to say.

"What happened?" Neal and Peter demanded. She took a breath.

"I got this text and couldn't not go. When I got there, it wasn't Turnway, it was A... a woman. I don't know who she was, she never got around to introducing herself, but she said that she used to work for Turnway, but he killed her husband, and she wanted him to go down for it. She told me that he was planning a museum heist."

"That part, we already know," Neal told her. "Moz heard from a contact that he was planning a heist at the Charles Vell Gallery." This confused her.

"No," she said slowly, "he's hitting the Chemont Gallery." Neal and Peter bit their lips.

"Did it ever occur to you that she was just trying to fool you?"

"No. She wasn't. She told me that this would be your last chance to catch him, that he was moving the ring to Phoenix after this."

"Phoenix, Arizona?" Peter asked dumbly. She rolled her eyes.

"No, Phoenix, Alabama.," she told him with a straigt face. "Yes, Phoenix, Arizona."

"That's a bit far," Drew commented.

"Not really," Neal said. "We weren't sure, but Amanda and I, after we escaped, were fairly certain we were in New Mexico. But I trust Mozzie, and Mozzie trusts his contacts. You don't even know who this woman is." Drew spoke up again.

"Chris, why do you look like you got in a fight?" he asked, noting her ruffled hair, and newly forming bruises on her bare arms. She cursed herself mentally.

"What happened?" the adults asked.

"Charlie 'the stalker' Turnway happened. I was walking back to school when he pulled me into an alley. I only got away because there were a bunch of nice, large construction workers across the street. Did you know they're not so nice when men are attacking women?" Peter smirked at Neal, who scowled in return.

"Why do I get the feeling we're missing something?" Drew asked Chris.

"I know, right?" she agreed.

"Chris," Peter said. "You're just going to have to trust us on this one. We'll catch him, I promise." She said nothing.

Peter was wrong, Turnway's ring would move to Phoenix, but he would stay and kill her and her dad. Really kill them. She knew she had to do something. But what?


	11. Plans

Chapter 11: Plans

Neal walked into his apartment only to have a piece of crumpled paper hit him in the face. "Gee, thanks," he said sarcasticly, making Chris jump.

"Oh, sorry, Dad," she muttered. Confused, he unfoleded it, reading quickly the chicken-scratch, completely different from her tidy script.

"What's this?" he asked, sitting next to her.

"It's a discarded speach."

"For..."

"I have to give a moving speach at the end of my school's Fine Arts Night, after the consert."

"Concert?"

"You know, choir, band, solo's." He nodded.

"Is this all you're doing?"

"No, I'm in the Women's Choir, and I'm doing a solo."

"I didn't know you sang." She shrugged, scrawling words on a new sheet of paper. A moment later, she read over it, sighed in frustration, and crumpled this sheet too.

"When's the Fine Arts Night?" he asked.

"Saturday."

"Good, Peter and I'll be able to come."

"That's right, the stake-out on Friday," she said bitterly. He sighed.

"Chris, no offence, but you're lead's really not that credible." She wanted so badly to tell him that it was Amanda, but decided against it. It was important to the older woman that she stay out of this, and Chris wouldn't turn on her.

"And if you're wrong?" she asked.

"When am I ever wrong?" he asked with a cocky grin.

"I don't know. When was the last time you went undercover?" His smile faded, seeing the tears welling in her eyes.

"I wasn't wrong, exactly, but I just didn't see that coming." The tears started leaking out of her eyes. He wrapped Chris in a hug.

"I still have nightmares about it." This confused him, making him pull away.

"What do you mean? You were here." She mentally face-plamed herself. They hadn't told him about that... "Chris, you were here, weren't you?"

"Well..."

"Damn it, Chris. Why can't you ever listen? Wait, what about Sara?"

"Well, Mozzie came over and said that he heard that Turnway was planning to kill you and the other forgers, so I called Peter, but he didn't do anything about it, and we all wanted to know what was going on and I knew where you guys were. So, we went. We weren't going to get too close, just enough to see if anything was happening, but I heard people in the alley we were in, and I followed him. It was Turnway and someone else and they said that the warehouse was going to go up, so I ran out without being seen and called Peter, but it was too late." Finally, she took a breath.

"I'm going to kill them," Neal said grimly.

"No. It was my idea. You really think that if they said no, I wouldn't have gone?" He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it promply. She had a point.

"It was still stupid."

"Like you wouldn't have gone if Peter told you not to," she said, rolling her eyes. Again, she had a point.

"Just finish your speech. We're going to follow Mozzie's source and that's that."

_Fine, _she thought. _You follow you're lead, I'll follow mine._

WC

"Do you know why I've called you here tonight?" Chris asked crypticly. All four of them shook their heads. "The man who kidnapped my father is going to get away, and the feds won't listen to me. So, we're going to take matters into our own hands."

"How?" Drew asked. She smiled evilly.

"How do you guys feel about breaking into a museum?"


	12. The Layout

A/N: Hey all! Sorry it's been so God-awfully long since the last update. Lotta crap going on. Finally had some time to kill fourth period today and was able to write a fair amount. So, here you go. Oh, fair warning, the new season of Criminal Minds starts tomorrow, so I may write more on my CM story than this one. Sorry if that happens. Anywho, hope you like it! -A

Chapter 12: The Layout

They stared at her for a moment, as if trying to see if that had been some sort of joke. It took a moment before any of them were capable of normal speach.

"Chris," Gia said slowly, as if she was spelling it out to her friend, "you can't be serious."

"Oh, but I can."

"But that's crazy," Sam exclaimed, "even for you!" Chris just grinned back.

"I assume you have a plan?" Dani asked. _Of course I do, _Chris thought, rather offended that her friend would think otherwise.

"Sam, did you bring the toy cars?" Chris asked. Confused, Sam nodded and pulled them out of her bag. "_This _is my plan," she stated, holding one up.

"She's finally lost her marbles, hasn't she?" Drew asked.

"'Fraid so, Lover Boy," Gia said, clapping him on the shoulder. Chris rolled her eyes and pulled a roll of paper out of her bag, spreading it out on the table. It was the buliding plans for the art gallery.

The building was very small for an art gallery. There were only seven rooms (save for supply closets and a couple small halls in the back). The lobby-type entrance hall, the main gallery, two smaller galleries, the restrooms, and the security room.

The others looked at it, but couldn't seem to see a plan anywhere in it's lines and measurements. They looked up for an explaination. Chris took a breath.

"Okay, so, the painting they're going after is in the main gallery-"

"How do you know what painting they're going after?" Drew asked.

"It's all in their M.O. They go after the most valuble paintings. Usually, there's a smaller theft as a smoke-screen, but this is their last score, so I'm going to assume that they're ditching that, because it's more time-consuming to steal two paintings, replacing one with a fake than it is to steal one and get on with your life. Like I was saying, it's in the main gallery. That has the heaviest security, of course. The lobby has no art in it, so there aren't any cameras, which is kinda dumb if you ask me. The cameras in the smaller galleries have a major flaw. The restrooms." That was met with blank stares. Chris sighed.

"The doors swing in, and the connect the lobby to the small galleries. There's only one camera in each." She pointed to two points on the plans. The cameras were on the same walls as the restroom doors. "The small galleries and the lobby connect to the main gallery here," she traced three lines, "with only motion sensors an inch off the ground. Too easy to step over. But, if one's tripped, that doorway is locked down."

"Not really the best system," Gia obseved.

"It's like you'd have to trip it and stay right where you are like an idiot," Dani added.

"And to be locked in the main gallery, you'd have to tripp all three at the same time," Sam finished. Chris grinned, grabbing a toy car off the table. The others stared at it for a moment before it clicked.

"Oh!" was the collective reponce.

"This might just work..." Gia mused.


	13. Action!

Chapter 13: Action!

The day of Neal and Peter's stakeout was coming quickly. Neal was amazed at how quickly Chris dropped her position that they were going to the wrong place. When he asked, she shrugged and said that she trusted his judgement more than some stranger's, and that was all she'd say on the topic. Instead, she fussed over more pressing matters. Such as her unwritten speach, and the plan for busting Turnway's robbery.

The kids went over the plan so much, any one of them could recite it in Spanish and French (okay, not really, but close enough). If every thing went as planned, it would go smoothly. On the night before the stakeouts, they were in Neal's apartment (Neal was with Peter at the Bureau), going over the plan one last time.

It was agreed who would do what. While it would have been smart to have three of the girls go in, that wasn't how it was going down. Sam was needed to do some computer hacking, and, as Dani had the best night vision, she would be on the look-out. Instead, Chris, Gia, and Drew were going in.

The plan was simple, actually. The lock on the front door was an electronic key pad. They watched a guard the day before unlock it, and the gallery changed it once a week, so they had the numbers. The cameras in the gallery had a wireless feed to the security office. Sam was an incredible hacker, so she managed to hack the system and record an empty gallery at night with the same time-tags they'd need. If necessary, it would go in loop, but they didn't want to run the risk of getting caught, so that was last resort only.

The guards shifted at eleven o'clock and there was a fifteen minute break before the first patrol started. Chris was sure that's when Turnway and his men would hit. That's when they had to work. As soon as the kids confirmed the robbers were inside, they would initiate a distraction. Once distracted, they would (hopefully) trip the alarms at the same time with the cars. Cut and dry.

"What could possibly go wro-" Drew started to complain after reviewing for the billionth time, earning two hands covering his mouth, each girl glaring daggers at him.

"Don't _ever _say that," Chris growled. "You haven't grown up around this, so I'll spell it out for you. This is a con. Con's are risky. Even if we're trying to stop a robbery, we could get in a lot of trouble if we're caught. Anything can go wrong, no matter how well planned out the con is. Saying that is like _asking _for something to go wrong. Got it?" He nodded slowly, eyes wide at the venom in her tone. She smiled sweetly, and what was venom became sugar. "Good! Glad to know we're on the same page!" His mouth was released.

Chris glanced at her watch. It was getting late. Quickly, the kids cleaned up. Not a moment too soon, because right when they had their homework out in front of them (that was their cover most nights) the door opened, and Neal walked in.

"What are you kids working on?" he asked, tossing his hat of the sofa.

"Geometry," Chris said. He walked over and read over Drew's shoulder.

"Why do you have a biology book out if you're working on geometry?" he asked. The girls mentally face-palmed themselves.

"I have algebra II," he lied smoothly. "I didn't think it would do much good to have that out. They said they were about done, so I figured I get a head start on this." The girls let out discrete sighs of relief. Still a little suspicious, Neal nodded and headed for the bathroom.

"Man, you are a genius," Gia said.

"I know!"

WC

The next night, after Neal left for the stakeout, Chris rushed off the the meeting place, not far from the gallery.

"Ready?" she asked the others when she stopped. They nodded, all clad in black. Biting her lip, she passed out the communication devices (she had to 'borrow' them from the FBI with every intention of giving them back). They sync'd up and pulled out their equipment.

"Okay, then. Get in position. It's time."


	14. Game Time

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I've been writing other stuff, and just decided to write this when I should have been taking notes in Geometry. So, here ya go! -A

Chapter 14: Game Time

"Dani? Do you copy?"

"Copy."

"Are you in place?"

"Yeah. I've got visual."

"Sam," she said into the speaker, "do _you _copy?"

"Copy."

"All set?"

"Yup. You're good." Chirs smiled evily. She turned to Drew and Gia.

"Ready?" she asked. They nodded. She could tell Drew was nervous, but also a little excited. "You sure you want to do this?"

"What?" he asked, eyes getting wide.

"I mean, we've still got a few minutes. Enough time to switch with Sam, if you want."

"Chris, I'm fine." She regared him incredelously. "Really."

"Okay," she sighed. They stood in silence for a few moments. Then her communicator crackled to life.

"They're in," Sam said. Chris nodded, though Sam couldn't see it. She turned to the others again.

"It's time." They each took a deep breath. "Now or never," she mutted as she stepped forward. It was quick work to unlock the door. They slipped in, careful to stay quiet. They stayed in the shadows, but peeked in the gallery. Sure enough, Turnway and his men were there already. Chris nodded. They split up. Gia stayed where she was. Drew slipped into the men's restroom, Chris took the women's. She hurried to the other door, pulled it open, and took her spot. Chuckling under her breath, Chris pulled the toy car and remote from the pocket of her hoodie and sat it down. She moved it forward and got it in position.

"Gia, ready with the distraction?" she whispered into the speaker.

"You know it."

"On three. Drew, get ready."

"Ready and waiting," he whispered in response.

"Three."

"Two."

"One." Chirs waited. She couldn't see anything, she had to wait for Gia's signal.

"Ready," Gia said about fifteen seconds later. She could now hear confused mutters from the main gallery.

"On my signal..." she mummbled. She counted to five in her head. "Now!" With that, she punched the control stick, making the toy car speed towards the gallery. Then, the small gallery was bathed in red light. A siren sounded. "Get it?"

"Door's closed," Gia told her.

"All good over here," Drew added. Chris smiled to herself, stood, and headed to the lobby. Drew met her there. Gia had already walked out and was waiting for them. Then, the restroom door burst open and five security guards filled in.

"Freeze," they said, aiming tazers. It took her a split second to make up her mind.

"RUN!" she shouted, pulling Drew with her through the men's restroom. Of course, the guards followed. Chris pulled him through the small gallery and into a back hall. This took them to an emergency exit. Go figure, it was locked and she didn't have time to change that status. So, she pulled him up the stairs to the roof. They tried to find a fire escape at the top, but there was none. The guards were right behind them. Chris made another snap decision.

"We have to jump," she told Drew, alarming him.

"WHAT? Are you insane?" She rolled her eyes.

"Not down. To that roof." She pointed to a building next to them. The roof top wasn't as far as the others were.

"You're insane," he concluded.

"Would you rather get arrested?" He opened his mouth, just to close it.

"Not really."

"Okay. Would you like me to go first?" He nodded. She rolled her eyes again, but stepped back. Taking a breath, she pushed herself forward as fast as she could. One moment, she was stepping up top the ledge, pushing off it. The next, she was landing with a jolt on the next roof. She turned back to see Drew running. But he hesitated at the ledge and didn't push himself hard enough. His hand searched for the ledge as he started falling down. With a cry of fear, she grabbed his hand. She tried to pull him up, but he was too heavy, and both their hands were sweating.

"Come on," she panted, "you have to help me out a little." His other hand found the ledge too and he started heaving himself up, using his feet to climb up. Soon, he pulled himself over and collapsed next to her. "You can rest when you're dead! We have to go." She all but pulled him to his feet and they started running again, down the starewell and out a back exit they quickly found.

"You guys out?" Gia asked over the speaker.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Heading to the rendezvous point now."


	15. Interrogation

Chapter 15: Interrogation

Chris was rather reluctant to let Drew leave. The poor kid nearly fell off a building after being chased through a museam because he helped break in. Needless to say, he was a bit shaken up, but denied that anything was wrong. Finally, she had to let him go. Dani, Sam, and Gia got away okay. The video feed was returned to normal, the doors of the museum were re-locked. Aside from Drew and Chris' run-in with the guards, everthing went according to planned.

So, Chris flipped through the TV channels in Neal's apartment, icing her ankle, which she twisted when she landed (she didn't notice it due to the adrinaline). She had changed into casual clothes, taken a shower. No reason for them to suspect a thing. Especially after she returned the communication devices she 'borrowed.'

It was nearly an hour after she got back that Neal and Peter walked in. "How'd it go?" she asked casually, looking up from the episode of iCarly that she'd settled for. Neal looked disappointed, Peter glared. "That bad?"

"You know perfectly well how it went, Chris," Peter said. She put on a confused face.

"You lost him?" she asked.

"No, we got him alright," Neal told her. She smiled.

"Good! Guess I was wrong after all."

"No, you weren't," Peter sighed. Chris' eye widened.

"You changed the plan for the stakeout?"

"No. We were waiting in the van, nearly three miles from the right place."

"Then how did you catch him?" Peter pulled some things out of his pocket and sat them on the coffee table. Three toy cars and a stink bomb. "They had toy cars?" she asked, unable to stifle a giggle.

"None of them had ever seen any of this in their lives," he told her, still glaring.

"Then why were they there?"

"I think you know."

"I do?"

"Damn it, Chris," Neal sighed, "how dumb do you think we are?" She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Don't answer that."

"Let me get this straight. You think I broke into a museum, with toy cars and a stink bomb, and used them to catch Turnway?" They hated to admit it, but, while it sounded good in theory, hearing her say it just made it seem silly.

"I don't think you did it alone," Peter said.

"What _do_you think?" she asked evenly.

"I think you and your criminally knowledgeable friends broke in, used the stink bomb as a distraction, then used the toy cars to trip the sensors at the bottom of the doors, locking them inside. But, acording to the guards we talked to, it didn't go as planned. Two people, one clearly female because of her voice, were chased by the guards, up to the roof. They then had nowhere to go, so they made a way. They jumped to the nearest building, one almost falling to their death. When I heard that, I thought, maybe they it was two stray memebers of Turnway's gang. Then I realized, I only know two people stupid enough to try that, and lucky enough to pull it off. Both of them are Caffrey's, both of them are in this room. But only one was out of my line of sight tonight when that took place. Care to guess which one?"

_Damn, _she thought, _right in one. _She smiled at him.

"Glad you think so much of my criminal abilities," she said. "Question. Did anyone see me?"

"No."

"Did you see me on camera?"

"No," he admitted, not liking where this was going.

"Was any of my DNA/finger prints found at the scene?"

"No," he sighed.

"Peter, I wasn't there. Even if you had eyewitnesses, video of the runners, or DNA/finger prints, they wouldn't have pointed to me. I promise you this." Neal couldn't supress a small smile. She would make one hell of a con.

Peter sighed. "Guess I'll have to believe that." He shook his head, muttered something about Caffries under his breath, and walked out. Neither spoke until they could no longer hear his foot steps retreating down the hall.

"You were so there, weren't you?"

"What was your first clue?" He chuckled and walked over. She carefully moved her twisted ankle to the coffee table so he could sit down.

"What happened there?" he asked, meaning her leg.

"My landing was a little rough." He put an arm around her.

"I can't believe that woman was telling you the truth," he mused.

"About that," she said slowly. "I do know who that was."

"Who?" he asked

"Amanda." His eyes widened.

"I thought she stayed across the boreder!"

"She came back over because they followed you. She said that she had to warn you, but knew you wouldn't keep the same burner very long, so she contacted me instead."

"How did she do that?"

"She texted me."

"Um..." He didn't have to say for her to know what was coming next.

"Geo is alive. That's how she got my cell number."

"Geo... but..."

"I know. That's what I said."

"Wait, does Gia know?" Chris shook her head.

"I haven't had the heart to tell her."

"Well, he's safe now. We all are. Turnway's going to prison and everything can go back to normal."

"Yeah. And, I still have to write my stupid speach for tomorrow. Shit."

"Chris." She rolled her eyes. Some things never change.


	16. Just the Begining

Chapter 16: Just the Begining

Neal and Chris sat in the apartment, talking about Chris' con. He had to admit, it was pretty ingenius. He'd always been one to use what he had, but that was something else. He knew he shouldn't encourage her, seeing as how he was officially on the feds' side, but he couldn't hide the pride welling up in his chest as she explained the plan and execution.

"Wait," he said, "how did you time it perfectly?" Her eyes widened, just a bit. She bit her lip and looked away. He knew she wasn't trying too hard to hide this, or there would be little to no reason for her to look guilty. "Chris." She sighed and stood, ignoring the protest of her twisted ankle. "Where are you going?"

She didn't answer the question, just walked to the other side of the room. She stopped in front of the mirror, and pulled the secret panel off the side. He craned his neck to see what was inside, but it was in a brown paper bag. This worried him, just a little.

"What's that?" he asked as she walked back over. For an answer, she dumped the contents on the coffee table. It was five FBI issue communicators. The look he gave her was a mix between disapponintment and anger. She offered a small smile.

"You _stole _from the FBI?" he asked in disbeliefe. Not even he would be so stupid.

"Borrowed," she corrected. "With every intention of returning them, as soon as possible." He put his face in his hands and heaved a tired sigh.

"In hindsight, too much of my DNA in one person may not have been a good thing," he muttered. Her face fell.

"I did this for you," she said. "Do you think I wanted to see you killed... again?" He sighed. "Like you wouldn't have done the same thing in my shoes."

"I would have thought about the riskes involved in steeling from the feds," he told her.

"You think I didn't?" She barked out a dark laugh. "I thought this all through. I know what I was risking. We all did. Sometimes you have to break the rules to do what's right. I think you forgot that." With that said, she stormed out. Neal ran a hand through his hair. He really screwed up this time. But she didn't _think. _Then again, would he really have done anything different?

He decided to give her time to cool down before going to her room. "What?" an irritated voice called when he knocked on the door.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"That depends. Are you going to yell at me for being stupid? Or maybe you'll just thought of something else, like I'm fat or ugly?" Yup, she was definatly still pissed.

"I just want to talk." He took her silence as an invitation to come in. For the second time in a week, his opening a door resulted in a crumpled piece of paper bouncing off his face, though he had a suspicion that this time it was intentional. "Look, I know you're mad about what I said-"

"Really?" she said sarcasticly. "What was your first clue?" He supressed a sigh.

"You know I didn't mean it."

"Yeah. You did." _Damn,_ he thought, _she's getting too smart. _

"Okay, I didn't completely mean it. I... I just don't want you to end up like I did. Running from the law, landing myself in prison. True, the deal got me out, but there's no guarentee of a deal, and it felt like moving from one cage to another."

"A gilded cage," she muttered under her breath.

"Yeah. Chris, you know I love you and I... worry about you."

"But I'm seventeen, Dad. I can make my own choises." She turned to face him. "Tell me you wouldn't be proud if I followed your footsteps."

"I'd be lying," he aditted. "But, you have to understand, I've done a lot of different things." He stepped forward and sat next to her on the bed, putting an arm around her. "Do you think I ever pictured myself turning fed? Before I got caught, I would have cringed at the thought." She smiled.

"I know the feeling." He chuckled.

"I was going to wait until tomorrow to tell you, but El and Peter invited us over for dinner to celebrate Turnway's capture."

"Sweet," she said. They sat in silence for a moment. "I'm just glad this whole thing is behind us." If only she'd remembered that there was a saying about famous last words.


	17. Dinner Disrupted

Chapter 17: Dinner Disrupted

Elizabeth called the Chris the next day to tell her the news that they would be getting together for dinner (she pretended she didn't know). Then, like a bolt of lightning, she told Chris to invite Drew. The teen didn't know how to respond. El sensed her embarassment and told her that she'd been thinking about it for a while, and that she was going to invite Sara too, so she didn't want Chris to feel left out. Being the con man's daughter, she was able to tell that El was lying through her teeth, but pretended not to. But, now, she couldn't get out of asking Drew. Crap. So, when she hung up with El, she dialed Drew's number slowly.

"Hey, Drew," she greeted when he picked up.

_"Hey, Chris. What's up?" _

"Well, Peter and Elizabeth invited Dad and I to dinner tonight to celebrate _their _victory at catching Turnway." He chuckled. "I was wondering if you'd like to come. I don't really want to be the only minor in the room. I mean, you don't have to-"

_"What time?" _he asked, cutting her off.

WC

The plan for the evening was simple. Drew would get there soon, and they'd wait for Peter. Sara would go straight to the Burkes'. They would eat dinner around five, and hang out for a while. They had to be to the school by eight for the concert. It would be a fun eveining.

It was nearly six-thirty when there was a knock on Neal's door. He opened it to reveal Drew. The boy was wearing black pants and a light blue, button down shirt. He smiled as Neal moved aside to let him in. Chris didn't hear him knock and walked in, eyes down as she focused on the strappy heel she was trying to put on while hopping on one foot.

"Dad," she said, still not realizing he was not alone, "have you seen my ear rings?"

"Which ones? The hoops, the dangles, or the studs?" she thought for a second.

"The dangles," she decided.

"On the coffee table." Only then did she look up.

"Drew!" He smiled as she walked over.

"Hey. You look... great." She smiled this time. She acted as though she was about to hug him, but Neal cleared his throat loudly behind her. Her face flushed red and she continued on to the coffee table and picked up the ear rings.

As she worked to put the ear rings in, Drew studied her appearance. A light layer of smokey, blue eye shadow colored her eyelids, making her startling blue eyes more striking. Her dark hair was shiney, bouncing as the waves and rings made their way to her waist. Her dress was sparkly silver, reaching the middle of her thighs. The heels made her legs look longer.

"Crap," she muttered as an ear ring fell from her fingers. Sighing, she bent over to retreive it. Drew's eyes unconsiously travled to her butt. A whisper in his ear made him jump.

"I wouldn't look there if I were you. I don't mind going back to prison." Though he knew Neal wasn't a murderer, the threat sent shivers down his spine. He quickly looked else-where.

When Chris straightened up, ear ring in hand, she smiled. Then she noticed Drew carefully avoiding looking at her and Neal glaring a little at him.

"I'm not even gonna ask," she sighed.

"Smart," Neal teased. There was another knock on the door. "'S open!" Peter walked in.

"You guys ready?" he asked.

"Yup." He smiled and turned to leave, the other three in his wake. They piled into Peter's car and he started driving. It wasn't long before they reached his house.

It smelled amazing when they got inside. The women were in the kitchen.

"Hey, hon," Peter called. El and Sara walked into the living room to meet them. Peter kissed his wife, and Neal his girlfriend. Though they wouldn't admit it, Chris and Drew were feeling a little awkward.

"Well," El said, "dinner's just about done, so let's get ready. Chris, would you mind helping set up the table?"

"Of course," she said with a smile.

"Okay, boy's, go get settled at the table."

"Behave," Chris whispered to her father. He gave her a trade-marked Caffrey smile. She rolled her eyes. They sat down as the ladies disappeared in the kitchen. A moment later, Chris reappeared with six plates, sliverware, two glasses, and two cans of pop. As she sat them down, Sara came out with a bottle of wine and four wine glasses.

After everything was placed and they went back in. A few moments later, all three of them came out, ladden with food. El had the main dish, some sort of chicken. Sara had pasta, and Chris had the vegetables. Everyone was seated around the table soon, and they dug in.

They were half done when there was the sound of breaking glass. At first, they all thought someone had dropped their glass. Then, something shiney caught Chris' eye not far from the coffee table. Curios, she stood and walked over to it. It was a little sliver canister. With a note. She read aloud.

_"You busted my men, so I busted your window. Hope you don't mind. Sweet dreams." _The others were now gathered around.

"Sweet dreams?" Neal asked, pulling it from her hands. There was a soft _beep!_from the canister and a puff of smoke flooded out.

"Oh, shit," she muttered.

"Chris!" Neal, Peter, and El scolded.

"Not to be a smart-ass, but I think now isn't the time getting upset about language." She was backing up, trying to push them back with her.

"Why?" Drew asked. She motioned to the canister, which was now steadly pouring out smoke.

"Don't panic," Peter said. "Just get out." Her mind was already getting a bit foggy, but she ran to the door. It wouldn't budge. A purple-ish haze was now seeping through the living room, creeping towards them. Neal and Peter each tried to get it open, but neither could. They ran to the back, but it was the same story.

"Shit!" they almost all said. All the windows were stuck. Her mind was very clouded, eyes starting to droop closed. She was only still upright because she was leaning heavily against Drew.

A strip of cloth was pressed into her hands. After a moment, she recognized it as her father's tie. She noticed everyone else with something covering their faces and it made sense. Without hesitation, she pressed it to her face and breathed through it in an attempt to block out any more of the gas. It worked a little. She could concentrate a bit more, though a pounding headache certainly made it difficult.

Searching the house for an exit was slow work. It occured to no one to break the already-smashed window. It wasn't long before they were all unconsious before too long.


	18. WTF

Chapter 18: WTF

When Chris woke up, her head was killing her. Blood was pounding in her ears as her head throbbed painfully. Her arms and legs ached. Her stomach was cramping. All in all, she felt like she got hit by a truck.

_Where the hell am I? _she thought groggily. She began taking in her surroundings. When she opened her eyes, all she saw was black. So, she started using her other senses. She was laying awkwardly, arms under her torso. Curious, she tried to pull her arms away from one another, but was unable to do so.

_What the hell happened? _she thought franticly. Slowly, thoughts of dinner started filing in. The silver canister. The smoke. Every exit being blocked. Passing out. They were kidnapped.

Vaguely, Chris was aware of a gag in her mouth. She tried to move her feet, but they too were bound. So, she settled for squirming. After a moment, she bumped into someone else. Relief flooded through her. She nudged him/her gently, but got no response. This worried her. Wiggled and squirmed and mangaged to get on her stomach and over the person. It was one of the guys, judging by the flatness of their chest. And the solid muscles. ;)

She moved her cheek in front of his face, feeling breath coming steadily out of his nose. She made a muffled noise in his ear, but he still didn't respond. He was still unconsious. Which one was it, she wondered.

So, she wiggled enough to reach the top of his head. When she felt it, it was immediately evident that it wasn't Peter. The hair was too long. When she smelled it, there was no trace of the familiar smell of her father's usual shampoo. This was Drew.

There was a small groan. He was finally awake. "Wer ah eh?" she heard him try to say through the gag. She assumed it was 'where am I.'

"Eh don noo." She hoped it sounded enough like 'I don't know,' to get her point across.

They were unsure how much time passed. One-by-one, the rest of them came to. First was either Sara or El, followed by one of the men, then the other, finally the woman that didn't already regain consiousness.

Almost as soon as they were all awake, light blinded them. A single light bulb above them flicked to life, burning into their dark-accustomed eyes. Slowly, they regained sight, just in time for a door to swing open and reveal a juanty-looking man.

He looked familiar. It took her a moment, but eventually she realized who it was. It was the man with Turnway the night the warehouse went up. The impatiant one. She'd completely forgotten about him.

"Uooo!" she spat through her gag. He gave a small chuckle.

"Come now, use words people can actually understand," he taunted.

"Fugh uooo!" she tried to growl. He _tisk_ed and walked over, bending down in front of her. With a sinister smile, he pulled the gag from her mouth. She took the opertunity. Before he had time to pull his hand away, she bit him. Hard. To the point she could taste blood.

This earned a nice, sharp slap to her face. Neal about lost it. He squirmed and wreathed, looking like he was having a seizure or something. The man stood, studying his bleeding finger.

"You know what happens to dogs that bite?" he snarled. She just glared. "We put them down." With that, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. She didn't break. Everyone around her visibly tensed.

"Do it," she said blandly, giving her best attempt at an uncaring shrug (easier said than done when your arms are bound behind your back).

"Crsh!" she heard around her. She ignored them. She was focused on the gun man. His eyes widened, his hold on the gun losing slightly. That's what she'd been looking for. This told her he'd been bluffing. He wasn't going to shoot Chris at all, just trying to scare her.

"Go on," she encouraged.

"CRSH! Sut ubp!" Finally, the man sighed and lowered the gun.

"Now, what do you want?"

"All in due time," he assured before walking out. Thankfully, he left the light on. She turned her attention to Drew, who was closest.

"Can you roll over on you stomach?" she asked.

"Eh dink tow." He squirmed and wiggled until he was lying on his stomach.

"Crsh," she heard, "wad er uoo duig?" Again, she ignored them. Instead, she put my mouth to his wrists and began gnawing throught the ropes. It was slow work, but eventually, he was free.

"Take your gag out and untie me," she told him. He nodded, pulled the rag from his mouth, and started pulling at the ropes binding her wrists. Finally, Chris was free too. Before they started on the bindings on their feet, they decided to un-gag and untie the others. Eventually, all off them were free.

"You recognized him," Peter stated. Chris nodded. "Who is he?"

"No clue. He was with Turnway the night the warehouse went up," she explained. "Do you think this it his second-in-command?" Peter shook his head.

"Turnway had been watched by Organized Crime for a while. Not long after the explosion, I talked to Ruiz. I got a list of the known members, save for forgers. According to that list, we got the second-in-command." Chris sighed.

"Is it possible that this guy was above Turnway?" El asked.

"I don't know," Peter sighed. "He wasn't anywhere on the list and, if he's on file, he's got no known connection to Turnway." _Sigh, _Chris thought. _Back to square-freaking-one. _


	19. Fight Amungst Yourselves

Chapter 19: Fight Amungst Yourselves

After ages of silence, the door opened again. The man came back in. He smiled pleasantly, as if seeing them untied was completly expected. Well, considering that Neal, Peter, and Chris were in the room, it wasn't exactly a shock. One of the three was bound to have figured something out eventually.

"Hello," he greated, acting as though they were the best of friends.

"What do you want?" Neal spat. This was greated with another creepily cheerful smile. This guy had mental issues or something.

"You haven't figured that out yet?" They all just glared in responce. His cheerful facade faltered as he sighed, mouth curving into a disappointed frown. "Well, since most of my team is now in prison, I need new ones. And since it's your fault they were arrested..." This pissed Peter off.

"Okay, you're insane. El, Sara, and the kids had nothing to do with it," he growled. "It was Neal and I, not to mention your team's incompitance at pulling of a heist."

"Okay, maybe women are innocent, but the kids' hands are most certainly not clean in any of this." Chris had to work to keep her face impassive. This was not good, seeing as how she already lied to Peter on her innocence of this charge.

"What are you talking about?" Slowly, it dawned on him. You could practicly see the cogs turning in his brain as it clicked. "You didn't..." This brought another creepy smile to the man's face.

"She hasn't told you, has she?" He headed to the door. "I'll leave you all to talk this out." The door closed with a snap, and Peter turned to Chris.

"You didn't," he repeated. She smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe just a little," she admitted. He let out an exasperated sigh.

"Damn it, Chris," he growled.

"You know, I hear that a lot," she mused. Unfortunatly, it didn't quite distract him.

"You lied. Straight to my face." His voice was dripping with disappointment, making her feel horrible.

"What did you expect? It's kind of in my blood."

"Oh, don't go blaming Neal," Peter warned. "He didn't know any more than I did." He turned to his friend, who was carefully looking away. "Neal." The younger man couldn't help but meet Peter's eyes, making him break.

"Okay, she admitted it to me after you left." Que second exasperated sigh.

"And you didn't tell me."

"What did you expect?" Neal asked, quoting his daughter.

"I thought we were past this." Again with the disappointment. God, that's a Caffrey's greatest weakness, disappointing someone you love/care about.

"We were... We are," he corrected. "I'm sorry, Peter. I promise, I won't lie to you again." Peter rolled his eyes.

"Yes you will, you can't go a week without lying about _something_." Neal smiled a little sheepishly, though he didn't disagree. Then Peter turned on Chris. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" she rolled her eyes at his parent-y nag.

"I don't regret what I did. I knew one of us could have gotten hurt, but it was a calculated risk and the alternitive was so much worse."

"Is it safe to assume you're not the only person in this room who went on that little excapade?" he asked blandly.

"Very safe." Well, at least she was honest. So, now that they were all back on good terms and being honest with each other, it would be a good time to try to think of an escape plan. "Anyone got any ideas on how to get out of here?" she asked. Neal looked around, noting the security cameras.

"Huddle!" he said, earning some funny looks.

"Oh, God," Sara said, "he's finally lost it!" He gave her an unamused half-glare.

"No, I mean there are security cameras, and I don't want to run the risk that they have audio." That made sense, so the group football-huddled together. His voice was so low that they had to strain to hear it.

"Okay, there are six of us and only one of him. We could jump him when he comes back in, try to get the gun away from him." That was actually a pretty good plan... well, it was for what they had to work with anyway.

So, they waited. No one spoke, there was nothing to say. They knew how easily things could take a bad turn. But the silence was maddening to Chris. She was too much like her father in that accord. Boredom didn't suit her. Not at all.

Finally, she spoke. "You _had _to say 'what could possibly go wrong,' didn't you?" Drew's eyes widened and all eyes turned to her.

"Hey, don't go blaming me!" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not blaming you, dummy! It's a joke, you know, something to break the tension." He narrowed his eyes.

"So now you think I'm stupid!"

"Right now? Yeah! You're taking everything so freaking seriously and being over-sensitive like a _five-year-old GIRL!_" She was now yelling, though she didn't know why. Just, something about him was seriously pissing her off.

"Chris," Neal sighed, "that's enough. Yelling's not going to settle any problems." Though it was directed to Chris, it was implied to Drew too. He didn't care.

"I don't know what I ever saw in you!" he shouted, rising to his feet. Chris followed suit, stepping forward. They were eye to eye, staring daggers at each other. "You do things that go according to your own agenda, everyone else be damned! You lie, you cheat, you scam. You're a criminal!"

"Oh, you just now figured that out?" she asked. His eyes widened, thinking he'd been insulting her. "My dad's a master forger... allegedly. He was implicated in dozens of frauds, cons, scams, thefts, and forgeries. He's one of the best damn criminals on the surface of the planet! A trait he passed on. And you know what? I'm proud to be his daughter. I'm proud I have his ability to lie, cheat, scam, and _be. A. Criminal!_"

"You won't be saying that when you end up behind bars for making the same dumb mistakes he did. Only, you know what the difference will be? You won't get out on a little leash!" That's when she snapped. Her hand lashed out. The _slap! _sound reverberated off the walls. His head turned from the force. Forgetting the the whole stupid 'no hitting girls' thing, he smacked her back. Pretty soon, they were throwing punches at one another, ending up rolling on the ground, still fighting.

The adults were frozen, not sure what they were seeing. Finally, Neal and Peter unfroze and proceeded to seperate the kids. Neal was furious that Drew had the nerve to hit his daughter, but, to her credit, she was holding her own. One well-placed punch was sure to leave a nice black eye.

The men found out it was pretty hard to hold back two pissed, fighting teenagers. Chris' stuggling threatened to break Neal's tight grip a few times. Peter found it hard to contain Drew, even with all the FBI training and what-not.

Finally, they settled down. Neal noticed Chris had tears rolling down her cheeks. If he wasn't careful, it would be him who Peter had to worry about murdering the boy.

"Did he hurt you?" he bit out, somehow managing to keep his voice gentle.

"No, he's just a jack-ass and I'm sorry I ever met him!" With that, she marched over to a corner and plopped down. Neal got right up in Drew's face.

"If you _ever _try something like that again, I _will _hurt you."


	20. Making It Out Alive

Chapter 20: Making It Out Alive

Time passed in silence. Chris and Drew kept glaring daggers at each other. She leaned against her father's shoulder, still feeling hurt. But, now, she refused to let tears fall. Drew sat alone in the corner. The adults, who knew her better, sympathized with her. Besides, guys shouldn't his girls... even though he _did _get the worst of the injuries. Chris barely had a scratch on her.

After ages of waiting, the door opened. Three people walked in, all carrying guns. There went their plan of jumping the guy.

"Time to go!" he announced cheerily. They didn't move. The man sighed and motioned to one of the others. Their face was completly covered by a large hood. The sweatshirt was too baggy to tell if it was a guy or a girl, though the build hinted at girl. "Go get her."

The person nodded and walked over to Chris, roughly pulling her to her feet. When Neal tried to keep her with him, he got the gun pointed threateningly at him. Chris struggled against the person, who shushed in her ear.

"It's me, Amanda," the woman whispered. Chris resisted the urge to smile and dance and hug the woman. They were as good as saved, the hoped. Amanda led Chris over in front of the man.

"Alright," he said, everyone up. Reluctantly, they stood. As the started walking over, Amanda lowered her hood.

"NOW!" She shouted. As the guy raised his gun to shoot Amanda, a different shot rung out. The other person lowered their gun as the guy fell. Slowly, he too put down his hood. It was Geo.

"GEO!" Chris and Neal exclaimed. He smiled a little, then looked at Chris.

"Sorry I ruined your dress." She looked down and noticed her once beautiful silver dress was now spattered in blood. She hissed in exadurated irritation.

"Ugh! No time to worry about that now." Everyone regarded her curiously. "The concert!"

"You still want to go?" most of them asked together.

"Uh, it's worth about half my final grade. No choise unless I'm physically unable to go, which now I'm not." With that, she started running. Shrugging, they all followed.

WC

They made it in the nick of time. She didn't have time to change her dress, however, before marching on stage to announce the concert.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen," she said warmly to the crowd as the others took their seats. "Welcome to the 2011 Fine Arts Night. We have a wonderful concert prepared for you and we hope you enjoy it." The sound of curious talk reached her ears, seeming to revolved around the mess on her dress. "Don't worry, it's red paint, courtesy of one of the lovely artists this school has to offer."

There was a collective chuckle. Well, at least they believed her... "Without further adou, I present to you, the High School Concert Band!" They clapped as she handed the mic over the the band director. He regarded her curiously, but didn't speak until he was at center stage, introducing the band. Chris rushed off stage, only to run into her friends.

"Great timing, as always," they said with a smile.


	21. Speech

Chapter 21: Speech

"Um..." Gia said, looking Chris over. "Is that really paint?"

"Not at all."

"Then-"

"Blood." They all blanched.

"Why-"

"Long story, not time. Anyone got a dress or something?"

"You can switch with me," Sam said. "Since the art show case is over, I was gonna head home."

"Thank you so much," Chris sighed. With that, the two girls headed to the restroom and quickly swapped dresses. Chris waited behind the stage until the band finished their three songs. Plastering on a warm smile, she walked back out and introduced the choir. After her announcement was done, she handded the mic to the choir director and took her spot on the stage.

The Women's Choir was singing four songs. The first was _Cowboy Take Me Away _by the Dixie Chicks. Then there was _Viva La Vida _by Cold Play. Next was _Holding out For a Hero _from Footloose. The last one was a gosple song called _He Never Failed Me Yet._

After they sang, Chris introduced the High School Chorus. They sang their pieces and were followed by Vocalese. The Vocalese were incredible, everyone's favorite being _Apologize _by One Republic. Finally, she was up.

"Hello again. I hope you've all been enjoying the show. We only have two more pieces, solos. The first is Journey's _Don't Stop Believing. _Our soloist is a very talented young man Mark..." She forgot his last name. "Mark... Mark!" The crowd chuckled as he joined her on stage.

"Thank you, Chris," he said dryly as he took the mic.

"Any time, Mark." She left the stage. His solo was amazing. It sounded pretty much as good as the real thing. It was her turn again.

"Let's give another round of applause for Mark!" The crowd clapped enthsiasticly. "The next solo will be sung by yours truely. It's one everyone knows, so I'm not even gonna annouce it, you should know it."

The piano started playing. It was slow and kind of sad. Finally, she heard her cue and began to sing.

"I heard there was a secret chord  
>that David played and it pleased the Lord,<br>but don't really care for music, do you?"

The crowd listened with bated breath. I'm sure they all figured it out, and if not, they were about to.

"It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth,  
>the minor fall and the major lift,<br>the baffled king composing hallelujah.  
>Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.<p>

"Your faith was strong but you needed proof.  
>You saw her bathing on the roof.<br>Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.  
>She tied you to her kitchen chair.<br>She broke your throne and she cut your hair  
>and from your lips she drew the hallelujah.<br>Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah."

Chris absolutly loved this song. It was so beautiful and inspiring. She actually had to beg the teacher to let her sing this as her solo. She knew that she chose right, because the crowd was completly absorbed in it. With a small smile, she got ready for the next verse.

"Baby, I've been here before.  
>I've seen this room and I've walked this floor.<br>I used to live alone before I knew you.  
>I've seen your flag on the marble arch<br>and love is not a victory march.  
>It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.<br>Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

"There was a time when you let me know  
>what's really going on below,<br>but now you don't show that to me, do you?  
>But remember when I moved in you<br>and the Holy Dove was moving too  
>and every breath we drew was hallelujah.<br>Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah."

Singing a love song about how hard and cruel and painful love can be made Chris think about her fight with Drew. It really was about nothing. They were just frustrated, having been locked up so long. Neither of them meant what they said, she was sure. Well, she didn't mean it anyway. She really needed to apologize... But, for now, she had to sing.

This next verse had always been her favorite. It was beautiful and meaningful. It never failed to make her feel a little less sad when she thought her dad was dead.

"Maybe there's a God above,  
>but all I've ever learned from love<br>was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you.  
>And it's not a cry that you hear at night.<br>It's not someone who's seen the light.  
>It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.<br>Hallelujah, halllujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

"Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.  
>Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah."<p>

The crowd burst into applause. She even got a standing ovation. It was a little while before they calmed down and sat back in their seats. She cleared her throat.

"Thank you. They asked me to write a moving speech about myself to close the concert, but I couldn't. No matter what I wrote, it didn't sound like me. Well, it could have, if I worked it right, but I wanted it to come from the heart. So, here's me, winging it.

"I've been going through a hard time, recently. A lot of craziness in the family. See, I grew up with my mother, mostly. My dad's... job kept him away. And my mom didn't want him around me. Last year, I finally got to see him again, to spend time with him. I even moved in with him. That meant I got a lot of extended family too. But, just when I thought everything was perfect, my family got torn apart. My dad had to leave again, suddenly, and I had to stay with my extended family because my mother wouldn't let come back. I haven't seen her since.

"Recently, we got my dad back, and things got better. But, we were put under a lot of pressure because of his work. We managed to get it sorted out, thank God, so I hope things can finally get back to normal. But, in the process of getting this worked out, I hurt someone I care about a lot. I said a lot of things I didn't mean... possibly gave him a black eye... Long story, don't ask. I just hope he has it in his heart to forgive me, because I really want to see where things could go."

There was a collective 'aww.' In the back she saw someone stand. It was Drew (she has fairly good night-vision). She could tell he was smiling and nodding. That made her smile. Feeling a lot better, she finished.

"I have a feeling things will work out. So, thank you all for coming here tonight. Your support means a lot to the talented students of this school. Please, have a great evening, and drive safe." Every one clapped again. The mic was taken from Chris' hands and she left the stage. As people flooded around her, some clapping her on the back, or congradulating her, she scanned for the familiar faces of her family.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she spun around. Drew was there. She was about to speak when his lips were on hers. After the surprise passed, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Everything was going to be just fine.


End file.
